N.H. police get voice technology for cruisers

AMHERST — One of the most dangerous situations that police officers face on a daily business doesn't involve guns or drug dealers or armed standoffs, but their own police cruisers.

Officers must take their hands off the steering wheel to talk on the radio, type information into their onboard computers or turn lights and sirens on and off, putting them at risk of car accidents. But a new technology funded by the University of New Hampshire is helping to mitigate that risk.

On Monday night, Amherst Police Chief Peter Lyon gave the board of selectmen and members of the public a tour of a cruiser that has recently been outfitted with new Project 54 voice command technology.